Subtlety was never Oasis’s strong suite, and when it came to following up two of the biggest selling albums of the 1990’s, there was no shortage of anxiety on both their part as well as that of the fans. So in 1997, after two years of quiet desperation from the listening public, Be Here Now was released - and it was an instant success. But that momentary bliss was soon to be overshadowed by the truth behind the album, no less by it’s content. Be Here Now is one of the most unfortunate and blighted records of Oasis’s already rocky career, displaying a definite attraction to the sound they had already perfect; a mix of Beatles by way of the Stones turned up to 11 - stung with a lack of anything new or exciting thrown in the mix. After their insanely popular debut and instantly classic sophomore album, Be Here Now sounds like a dumb trad-repeat. And what’s more, Oasis knew it. The whole album, now thought of the band (mostly the Gallagher brothers) as “complete shit”, is even more derivative than they normally seemed to be, but without the irony. It is the sound of excess and big-headedness, which occasionally works in a tongue-in-cheek manner (“My Big Mouth”) by usually bumps them to the level of self-aggrandizing nonces’ (“All Around the World” and “It’s Getting Better (Man!)”). There are a few moments where the album is genuine and crafted, coming out swinging with the opening track “D’You Know What I Mean” and the rosey Stones-meets-Monkees harmonies of “Girl With the Dirty Shirt”, but for the most part, the album is flat and reeks of cocaine and booze that plagued the whole recording. In classic rock ‘n’ roll fashion, the Gallagher’s fought during the whole albums creation and there is a definite tension that is wearisome and makes the dwindling voice of Liam Gallagher that much more annoying. It’s not all bad though - Be Here Now has it’s moments, like a faded Union Jack fluttering in the wind, reminding us the price of Britpop from it’s prime-movers.
Listen to “My Big Mouth” (Live at Knebworth, 1996) and “Be Here Now” (Live at Earls Court, 1997)
Download “Be Here Now”
